Breakwaters



G. HIBARGER Dec. 12, 1967 BREAKWATERS 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed July 18,1966 INVENTOR George Hiborger Dec. 12, 1967 I HlBARGER 3,357,192

BREAKWATERS Filed July 18, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR GeorgeHiborger Fig. IO BY wfm.

United States Patent 3,357,192 BREAKWATERS George Hibarger, Mead, Okla.73449 Filed July 18, 1966, Ser. No. 5,903 13 Claims. (Cl. 615) Thisinvention relates to breakwaters and more par ticularly to a floatingbreakwater.

An object of this invention is to provide a new and improved floatingbreakwater for protecting harbors, floating docks, marinas, marineinstallations and the like by reducing the amplitude of the waves of thewater in which the breakwater is partially submerged.

Another object is to provide a floating breakwater having meansextending downwardly into the water for breaking up or attenuating therotary circulation of water beneath the surface thereof which gives riseto the surface waves.

Still another object is to provide a floating breakwater formed ofcomponent which are easily assembled at the sight of installation andwhich has suflicient flexibility to permit limited movement of differentportions thereof as the water in which it is afloat is subjected tosurface disturbances, such as waves, swells, wakes of speeding boats andthe like to minimize strains of the breakwater due to such disturbances.

A further object is to provide a breakwater formed of a plurality ofannular or ring-shaped members, such as truck or automobile tires, whichare themselves flexible and resilient and are flexibly secured to oneanother by elongate flexible members, such as wire rope or cable, whichare interwoven through the tires to secure them to one another.

A still further object is to provide a breakwater of the type describedwherein the tires are provided at their lower portions with weights andat their upper portions with buoyant means to cause them to assumevertical positions when placed in water and have major portions thereofsubmerged in the water.

Another object is to provide a floating breakwater having an elongateflexible buoyant body formed of a plurality of longitudinal rows oftires, with the tires of each row disposed in overlapping relationshipto the tires of immediately adjacent rows and secured to one another insuch overlapped relationship and with their adjacent side surfaces inabutting relationship by flexible members interwoven through the tires.

Still another object is to provide a breakwater wherein the flexiblemembers at opposite ends of flexible body are provided with end anchorsto hold the breakwater against displacement.

Still another object is to provide a breakwater having float meanssecured to the flexible members between the ends of the body and theanchors which have major portions thereof above the water to indicatethe location of the breakwater and to prevent the body from being pulledunder water when it is subjected to forces tending to move itlongitudinally relative to the end anchors.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be readilyapparent from the reading of the following description of a deviceconstructed in accordance with the invention, and reference to theaccompanying drawings thereof, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic top plan view of the breakwater embodying theinvention;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical side view of the breakwater;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary schematic view showing the manner in which theflexible members are interwoven through the annular members or tires tosecure them to one another to form the elongate flexible body;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary top view showing the rows of tires in theabutting relationship to which they are 3,357,192 Patented ec. 12, 1967moved when the flexible members are tensioned longitudinally;

FIGURE 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 55 of FIGURE 2; 7,

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the manner in whichthe flexible members are interwoven through the tires;

FIGURE 7 is a vertical sectional view of one of the tires taken on line7-7 of FIGURE 8;

FIGURE 8 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 77 of FIGURE 8;

FIGURE 9 is a .side view, with some portions broken away, of a tirehaving a different weight in its lower portion; and,

FIGURE 10 is a fragmentary top view showing the manner in which theflexible breakwater body may be formed of more than three rows of tires.

Referring now particularly to FIGURES 1 through 8 of the drawings, thebreakwater 15 includes a flexible buoyant elongate body 16 which floatsin water with all but its topmost portion submerged therein. The body isformed of three parallel longitudinal rows R1, R2 and R3 of annularmembers 18 which are secured together in the relationship illustrated inFIGURES 1 and 2 by a pair of elongate flexible members 19 and 20, suchas steel ropes or cables.

The annular members may be used truck or automobile tires. The outerperipheral portion 21 and the side portions 22 and 23 of each tiredefine an annular cavity 24 which opens to the central opening 25 of thetire through an annular passage 26 defined by the annular beads orflanges 27 and 28 at the inner edges of the side portions 22 and 23,respectively. The anchor passage 26 is of smaller width than the widthof the cavity so that a weight 29 of concrete or the like positioned ina lower portion of the cavity is held against displacement therefromsince its width is greater than that of the annular passage. The weight29 may be formed by pouring a predetermined quantity of plastic concreteinto the tire and then permitting the concrete to set or harden While atire is held in the upright vertical position illustrated in FIGURES 7and 8.

Suitable buoyant means, such as a pair of float blocks 31 and 32 of anexpanded plastic such as polystyrene, are disposed in the upper portionof the cavity and cooperate with the Weight 29 to cause the tire tofloat in a vertical position in the water with the central axis of thetireexending horizontally and with most of the tire submerged in thewater. The float blocks 31 and 32 may be square in cross-sectionalconfiguration and are inserted into the tire body by flexing the flanges27 and 28 outwardly to permit the insertion of the blocks into thecavity. Once the float blocks are in a position in the cavity, theflanges are released to move back resiliently to their normal positions.Since the cross sectional dimensions of the blocks are greater than thewidth of the annular passage 26 of the tire, the float blocks are heldby the inner portions of the tire against displacement from the cavity.In addition the force of the Water, when the tire is disposed in thewater, tends to hold the buoyant blocks in the upper por-- tion of thetire body and against displacement therefrom.

The tires X of row R1 are secured to the tires Y of row R2 of thebreakwater body 16, the tires X abutting the side surfaces of the tiresY, by the flexible member 19 which is interwoven through the centralopenings of the tires of rows R1 and R2 in such manner that it has loops19a-which extends inwardly.

through the central openings of the tires X of row R1 and loops 1% whichextend laterally outwardly through the central opening of the tires Y ofrow R2.

For example, the flexible member 19 at the left end of the body 16extends laterally inward through the central with the side surfaces ofopening of the first tire X1 of row R1, about the tire Y1 of row R2 andlaterally outwardly through the central opening thereof to form a loop190, then through the central openings of the tire X1 and back inwardlythrough the central openings of the tires X2 and Y1 to form a loop 19b,and then about the tires Y1 and Y2 and laterally outwardly through thecentral openings of the tires Y2 and X2 to form a second loop 19a, andso on. The flexible member 20 is similarly interwoven through openingsof the tires Y and Z in such manner that it has laterally inwardlyextending loops 20a which extend laterally inwardly through the centralopenings of the tires Z and about the tires Y and laterally outwardlyextending loops 2012 which extend outwardly of the central openings ofthe tires Y1 and through the central openings and about the tires Z asis illustrated in FIGURES 3, 4 and 6.

When the flexible members 19 and 20 are thus interwoven through thethree rows of tires, they are placed in tension by pulling outwardly onopposite ends thereof and the tires are then moved to the positionsrelative to each other illustrated in FIGURES 1, 2 and 4 wherein thetires of adjacent rows overlap one another longitudinally so thatportions of the tires X of row R1 at least partially block the centralopenings of the adjacent tires Y of row R2 and portions of the tires Yof row R2 at least partially block the central openings of adjacenttires X of row R1. The tires Y and Z of rows R2 and R3 similarly atleast partially block or close each others central openings. Theopposite ends of the flexible members, after they have been placed intension, are secured to one another at opposite ends of the rows oftires by suitable fasteners or clamps 34 and 35.

The assembly 16 formed of the three rows of tires is flexible andresilient both laterally and perpendicularly, and is to some extentresilient and flexible longitudinally since each tire is flexible andresilient and may stretch or deform and since the tires may bend ordeform at the locations of their contact with the flexible membersbecause the flexible members contact the tires at locations between theweights 29 and the float blocks 31 and 32. The side portions of eachtire thus may flex, bend or deform inwardly toward one another at thelocations of contact with the flexible members.

The flexible members extend from one end of the elongate body 16 and thefastener 34 through a rigid tubular member 36 of steel or the like of afloat 37 formed of a buoyant substance, such as expanded polystyrene,and at the ends remote from the float 37 have anchors 38 and 39 securedthereto. The anchors may be formed of iron or steel bodies 40 of arcuateform in which a mass of concrete, lead or other heavy substance may besecured. The flexible members extend from the other end of the body 16and the clamp 35 through the rigid tubular central member 42 of a float43, which may be identical in structure and form to the float 37, andhave anchors 44 and 45 secured thereto.

The floats 37 and 43 have major portions thereof projecting upwardlythrough the water and thus indicate the location of the breakwater sincethe body 16 has only a small portion thereof exposed above the water.The floats also prevent downward forces from being applied to oppositeends of the body 16 if the body is moved relative to end anchors whichwould occur if the floats were not secured to the flexible membersbetween the ends of the body and the end anchors.

Side anchors 47 are secured to the tires Z of row R3 by suitableflexible members or cables 48 each of which is looped about a pair ofadjacent tires Z secured thereto by a suitable clamp 49. Similar sideanchors 50 are secured by cables 51 and clamps 52 to the tires X of rowR1. The side anchors, such as the anchors 47 on the side of thebreakwater in the direction of prevailing winds are preferably spaced ashorter distance apart than the anchors 47b which are disposed on theleeward side of the breakwater. For example, the side anchors 4711 maybe spaced 60 feet apart and the side anchors 4712 may 4 be spaced feetapart along the assembly 16. Floats 52a and 54 which may be identical tothe floats 37 are mounted on the cables 51 and 48, respectively. Thefloats 52a and 54 prevent the body from being pulled under water whenlateral wind or wave forces are applied thereto.

It will be apparent that the breakwater is easily and quickly assembledat the location of its use from relatively inexpensive components, asfor example, used truck tires and used steel cables. It will also beapparent that the breakwater body is flexible and resilient to a limiteddegree since the tires are resilient and since the means which securethe tires to one another are themselves flexible so that the body 16 mayflex as required by the disturbances or movement of the water in whichit is afloat to relieve itself to a substantial degree of the stressesimposed thereon by such disturbances.

It will further be seen that since the tires are almost wholly submergedin the water and since they overlap one another, the rotary circulationof the water immediately beneath the surface about substantiallyhorizontal axes which extend perpendicular to the direction of movementof the waves and which causes and sustains wave action, is broken up orattenuated by the breakwater and the amplitude of the waves in the areaof the water protected by the breakwater is greatly decreased.

If desired instead of pouring plastic concrete into the tires to formthe weight 29, a suitable Weight 58 may be inserted into the annularcavity 27 of the inner member or tire. For example, the weight may be acontainer or can 57, such as a used paint can, filled with concrete orother heavy substance. Such cans are of greater diameter than the widthof the tire passage 26 so that when such cans are inserted into the tirecavity by pulling outwardly on the side flanges 27 and 28, the sideflanges move back to their normal positions and extend over the upperends of the cans and thus hold them against displacement from thecavity. It will be apparent of course that the weight of the can itselfwill tend to hold it in proper position in the tire.

It will be apparent that while the breakwater body 16 has been shown tobe formed of three rows of tires secured to one another by two cables 19and 20, the number of rows in the body may be increased as desired, asillustrated in FIGURE 10. The tires of row R4 are then secured to thetires of row R3 by a flexible member or cable 53 about which extendsthrough the tires of rows R3 and R4 in the same manner as the flexiblemember 19 extends about the tires of rows R1 and R2 and the tires of rowR5 are secured to the tires of R4 by a flexible member R4 in the samemanner as the flexible member 20 secures the tires of row R3 to thetires of row R2.

It will now be seen that a new and improved breakwater has beenillustrated and described which may be easily and quickly assembled atthe location of installation and that the transverse width of thebreakwater body may be easily increased as desired by connecting theretoadditional rows of tires.

The foregoing description of the invention is explanatory only, andchanges in the details of the construction illustrated may be made bythose skilled in the art, within the scope of the appended claims,without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A floating breakwater including: a main body comprising a pluralityof longitudinal parallel rows of annular members, said annular membershaving central apertures whose central horizontal axes extendperpendicularly relative to said rows, said annular members beingadapted to float partly submerged in vertical positions, and an elongateflexible member interwoven through the annular members of each pair ofadjacent rows holding the annular members of adjacent rows inlongitudinally overlapped relation, overlapped portions of annularmembers of each row closing at least partially the central apertures ofthe annular members of an adjacent row.

2. The breakwater of claim 1, wherein each of said annular members hasan annular cavity and an annular passage of narrower width than thewidth of said cavity opening from said cavity to its central aperture; aweight in a lower portion of said cavity and buoyant float means in anupper portion of said cavity for holding said annular member in apartially submerged vertical floating position in water.

3. The breakwater of claim 1, and end anchor means connected to saidflexible member at opposite ends of said rows for anchoring saidbreakwater.

4. The breakwater of claim 3, said float means secured to said flexiblemembers between said anchor means and said rows.

5. The breakwater of claim 4, and side anchor means connected to andspaced laterally from opposite sides of said main body for holding saidmain body against lateral displacement.

6. A floating breakwater including: a main body comprising a pluralityof longitudinal parallel rows of tires, each of said tires having acentral opening, an internal annular cavity and an annular passage ofnarrower width than said cavity opening from said cavity to said centralopening; means disposed in said cavity of each of said tires for causingsaid tires to float partly submerged in vertical positions when placedin water; flexible means interwoven through the central openings of saidtires for holding the tires of adjacent rows in longitudinallyoverlapped relation, overlapped portions of annular members of each rowclosing at least partially to central opening of the tires of anadjacent row.

7. The breakwater of claim 6, and end anchor means secured to said bodyat opposite ends thereof and spaced therefrom.

8. The breakwater of claim 6 wherein said means in the cavity of saidtires comprises a weight in the lower portion of the tire and buoyantfloat means in the upper portion of the cavity.

9. The breakwater of claim 8 wherein said flexible means compriseselongate flexible members interwoven through the tires of adjacent rows.

10. The breakwater of claim 9, and end anchor means secured to saidflexible members at opposite ends of said flexible members and spacedfrom opposite ends of said body.

11. The breakwater of claim 10, and float means secured to said flexiblemembers between said anchor means and said rows.

12. The breakwater of claim 10, and side anchor means connected to andspaced laterally from opposite sides of said body for holding said bodyagainst lateral displacement.

13. The breakwater of claim 12, wherein said side anchor means areconnected to said body by flexible members, and float means secured tosaid flexible member between said side anchor means and said body.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,388,171 10/1945 McVitty 61-1 X2,658,350 11/1953 Magill 61-5 2,920,846 l/ 1960 Lingafelter. 2,972,2332/1961 Askevoid 61-5 3,029,606 4/ 1962 Olsen 61-5 3,276,210 10/1966Stitt 615 EARL I. WITMER, Primary Examiner.

1. A FLOATING BREAKWATER INCLUDING: A MAIN BODY COMPRISING A PLURALITYOF LONGITUDINAL PARALLEL ROWS OF ANNULAR MEMBERS, SAID ANNULAR MEMBERSHAVING CENTRAL APERTURES WHOSE CENTRAL HORIZONTAL AXES EXTENDPERPENDICULARLY RELATIVE TO SAID ROWS, SAID ANNULAR MEMBERS BEINGADAPTTED TO FLOAT PARTLY SUBMERGED IN VERTICAL POSITIONS, AND ANELONGATED FLEXIBLE MEMBER INTERWOVEN THROUGH THE ANNULAR MEMBERS OF EACHPAIR OF ADJACENT ROWS HOLDING THE ANNULAR MEMBERS OF ADJACENT ROWS INLONGITUDINALLY OVERLAPPED RELATION, OVERLAPPED PORTIONS OF ANNULARMEMBERS OF EACH ROW CLOSING AT LEAST PARTIALLY THE CENTRAL APERTURES OFTHE ANNULAR MEMBERS OF AN ADJACENT ROW.